Definition
Subjective health – as measured by self-reported evaluations of general or physical health – is positively correlated with measures of subjective well-being (SWB). In general population samples, the association is moderate (i.e., correlations up to 0.5) and varies by measures of health and SWB. There is no consensus on the mechanisms that can explain the association. Generally in the SWB literature, good subjective health is seen as an important component of SWB. Objective measurements of health are less important for SWB. At the same time, SWB is seen as a determinant of health and longevity and a number of longitudinal studies seem to support this.
Description
Concepts and Measurement
Subjective Health
Subjective health is the self-reported evaluation of one’s overall health status. Health has a very broad definition as it is left to respondents in...
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Monden, C. (2014). Subjective Health and Subjective Well-Being. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_3957
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_3957
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